If anyone knows how much impact a schedule can play on a team’s season, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their December slate was one of the league’s toughest and its timing couldn’t have been worse. While the Steelers opponents were revealed months ago, the order of their opponents is still a mystery. Here’s what we hope Pittsburgh’s schedule will look like when it’s released on Wednesday night.
No more three-games-in-10-days nightmares
Last season’s stretch of clashes against the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Eagles in Pittsburgh’s end-of-season schedule was borderline cruel. That type of gauntlet at any point in the season would ultimately be too hot for the Steelers to handle. Pittsburgh wasn’t the only team to face a condensed schedule, but few were handed such elite competition with so little time to recover. There’s no chance to recover when games are so tightly crammed together. The toll is even more dramatic when the opponents are Super Bowl contenders. If the NFL insists on another compressed stretch, they could at least swap in the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets for some oxygen.
Primetime against Justin Fields
If the Steelers do sign Aaron Rodgers, this becomes the one matchup on Pittbsurgh’s calendar that is teeming with storylines. Justin Fields will be motivated returning to Pittsburgh after getting benched midseason for Russell Wilson. It’ll be on the road so Rodgers may draw boos despite not actually doing anything wrong except playing poorly and looking like a shell of himself all of last season. It’s an easy sell for a primetime slot. The offenses may develop an allergy to scoring touchdowns, but the drama is A-tier.
Face a playoff team on the road a week after heading to Dublin
The NFL should incentivize its teams to play overseas by awarding them winnable games upon their return. A Pittsburgh to Dublin is an 11 to 12 hour flight. Between the jet lag and all the pomp and circumstance that will come with taking part in the NFL’s first regular season game in Ireland, they’ll be exhausted. Once the Steelers return stateside, they should have a bye week or a sacrificial lamb at home.
The Steelers are scheduled to face Detroit, the Chargers, and the Jets on the road. That’s the worst case scenario. Any home game after a week spent overseas is going to be tough enough. Playing abroad can be draining and time consuming. The absolute worst scenario would be heading on the road a second week, especially if it’s to Los Angeles to face the Chargers on the West Coast three time zones in the opposite direction.
All in all, a week 5 bye week is for the best
Too early, and the benefit’s wasted. Too late, and the team’s running on fumes. A Week 5 bye, right after a potential Dublin game, strikes the perfect balance of rest and rhythm.
Miami Dolphins in July
Pittsburgh is going to need all the help it can get this season with Mason Rudolph or Aaron Rodgers under center, so it might as well seek an advantage from the elements, and no opponent is consistently as vulnerable to the elements as the Miami Dolphins. When Tua Tagovailoa is healthy, the Dolphins are a formidable opponent. Tagovailoa struggles winning the big game, but he can whip it around the field with the best of them — in the first half of the season. However, Tagovailoa is Tagovailoa kryptonite.
In November ,the average temperature in Miami is between 81 degrees Fahrenheit and 68°F. In Pittsburgh, the high hovers around 51°F and a freezing 32°F, according to Weather Spark data. Pittsburgh should prefer the latter. Mike McDaniel offenses are more run-oriented than most casual observers will admit, but their passing attack is predicated on finesse and speed. Pittsburgh is already set to face the Dolphins this season, but if it’s in September or October, there’s a better chance that Miami will be in its peak form. In the bitter cold, punishment from Steelers defenders sting more.